Slippery elm bark contains soluble fiber, which may help to soothe and lubricate the digestive tract, reducing inflammation and helping the hairball move in the right direction Dietary Changes

Cat hairballs are a normal by-product of cat grooming. A cat hairball is a collection of dead hair and digestive juices that have formed in your cat’s stomach. Cats develop hairballs by grooming themselves and swallowing the hairs, which build into hairballs in their stomachs. Our top choice for hairball control gel is Tomlyn Laxatone Hairball Remedy Gel. It carries the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) quality seal. In addition to safely and gently eliminating hairballs, it can be used to prevent the formation of hairballs in the future.Some cat owners think that their pet brings up a hairball every day, but this isn’t true. Cats should only get hairballs occasionally, usually less than once a month. Most hairs swallowed from grooming will pass through the digestive system and out into the litter box without a problem. When a cat is trying to bring up a hairball, they may start retching, gagging or acting like they are dry heaving and trying to vomit. Sometimes the sound they make is called a ‘cough-gag-retch’. This is because your cat can appear to be coughing from the lungs, gagging with their throat and retching from the stomach. Most products marketed as hairball remedies are petroleum jelly-based. Others use vegetable oils or beeswax instead of petrolatum. They contain added flavors and sweeteners like malt syrup, fructose, and dextrose. Butter and Oil

You can buy a specialist cat hairball treatment paste that contains a laxative and lubricant to help them pass through the digestive system. But this is not generally needed. If you do use it, follow the instructions to the letter. The key is not to get too distressed and just keep an eye on your cat to ensure they bring up the hairball and then stop gagging. Furballs are a completely natural part of a cat’s grooming ritual. They are a mixture of the loose hairs and digestive juices which have formed in your cat’s stomach.

The gel’s first ingredient is cod liver oil, which is both a lubricant and a source of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. These fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties and may improve skin and coat health, helping to control the hairball problem at its source.

Typically, this would mean giving your cat a high-protein food made primarily from meat and animal fat. You want as little plant matter as possible. A moisture-rich diet is ideal.While they can be unavoidable due to your cat’s natural grooming habits, there are ways to combat an excessive amount of loose hair on your cat. Constant retching (with no sign of a hairball) and lethargy can also be signs of asthma. The vet should be able to discern the underlying cause. Either way, you will have identified a health issue in your cat and will have solved it before it gets worse. Cats often vomit up hairballs — what some people call "coughing up" hairballs — but if hair becomes lodged in the small intestine, it can cause a life-threatening obstruction, which could require surgery. Many hairball gels contain white petrolatum, which is the same ingredient found in Vaseline — a semi-solid gel derived from oil. Although petrolatum is a safe and effective hairball remedy recommended by veterinarians, some pet owners prefer to avoid petroleum products.